


The only red, warm thing

by Kartaylir



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Nathema Conspiracy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23019574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kartaylir/pseuds/Kartaylir
Summary: The trouble with being a former enemy of the Alliance is that they give you the worst missions afterward. And when Theron and Arcann are sent to Hoth to meet with a potential contact, things turn predictably unpleasant and more than a bit cold.
Relationships: Arcann/Theron Shan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: Writing Rainbow Red





	The only red, warm thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wednesday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wednesday/gifts).



When Theron Shan awoke only the faint glimmer of emergency lights surrounded him. They shone off walls of ice, sections of it weighted and smoothed to black or deep blue. Glinted off a section of Arcann’s arm arm as well, as if the coating on his cybernetics had been shorn away.. 

“Hold still, Agent Shan.” Arcann’s voice seemed smaller in that tight space, and yet there was still no shortage of authority behind it.

At that Theron realized that he couldn’t feel his arm, that half his body was wrapped so tight that he couldn’t move. “Good to be out of the wind,” he said. The attempt to keep his tone light came out as something of a croak, but Theron was too distracted to care. He’d already started prodding for information from his implants.

He’d been out for several hours, it seemed. Long enough that Arcann had situated them in a stable portion of the cave, had propped Theron up atop emergency blankets in a position that was far more comfortable than expected.

“You need more time before the kolto heals your wounds,” Arcann said without even a smile. “Try not to move your arms.”

“Uh...alright.” Theron said, and sighed.

He looked down, then back up to see a canteen of water floating in the air before him. Of course. What had he expected from a mission where they’d sent him off with the one other person the Alliance didn’t really trust yet. Now. After all of...well, it was a long list.

Longer than Theron’s at least. ‘Sorry I joined an evil cult.’ was easy to summarize.

“Could you not rub it in?” he said, harsher than he’d meant to. If there was one person who’d lost the parental issues lottery even more than he had, it was Vitiate’s own damn kid.

“Rub in what?” Arcann’s face twisted in confusion, and such emphasized the scars across half his face in a way that made Theron feel just a little more guilty. “My hands are too cold for comfort,” Arcann said, continuing. Still, he picked up the canteen with his hands instead, careful not to brush the metal of his cybernetics against Theron’s cheek.

More careful than Theron. He leaned his head forward to try to drink, and found his face chilled when he bumped against the flesh and blood of Arcann’s other hand.

“Not going to help the mission if you freeze your other arm off,” Theron said, with a futile attempt to shrug. “Bundle yourself in and warm up.”

“I said you shouldn’t move your arms.” Arcann crossed his own arms across his chest and let the canteen float in the air again. “And I am still waiting to hear from our contact.”

“Let me see the comms.” Theron promptly stopped speaking to try to take a sip from the canteen. A little water dribbled down his throat, the chill of it worrisome and yet still an all too needed refreshment. 

The small communications device promptly floated its way over to him as Arcann tugged his arms tighter around his chest. Theron got the impression the prince was freezing his royal ass off as well.

But then, what else was Hoth for?

The little still had blinked a faint green, but it seemed as if the cave had blocked its limited power from getting signal to the outside world.

“I’ve got an idea,” he said, tilting his head in an effort to beckon Arcann over. “How good are you at that force lightning thing?”

“I’m not my sister,” Arcann said.

“Warm up first then, won’t help if your hands are shaking.”

Arcann still hesitated, but he soon came over and leaned against Theron. Wrapped his arms around him with an abundance of caution. Even that small, distant pressure was enough to make Theron’s arm ache, the kolto and whatever stims he’d been pumped with still had some work to do.

Warmth was nice though. He could feel as sensation returned to his ears, the tip of his nose. The thin lines of frost on his eyelashes melted beneath Arcann’s breath.

“Don’t squeeze too tight,” Theron said. “Else half the Alliance will give you a medal when you get back without me.”

“They’ve no need for more cause to distrust me. I would expect they’d grant you larger medal if you returned without me”

“Good thing you wrapped me up so tight then.”

“I’d hate to return alone.” Arcann’s voice was soft, and lacked the undercurrent of resentment so common among Alliance personnel after Theron’s particular betrayal. 

Theron paused. He had to admit he liked that feeling, the way he didn’t have to brace himself for having Nathema and everything before it thrown in his face. Or left lying at the edges of conversation as if someone hoped he might trip over the topic.

“In that case,” Theron said, “take your time warming up. I’m not going to complain about it.” In fact, he was actually starting to think he might just enjoy it. 


End file.
